It's a rest-or-rust game tonight, with the Hawks coming in off four days off against the Jets playing the third of a three-in-four and the second of a road back-to-back. They've been exemplary in the first two, vaporizing the Panthers 8-2 and then shutting the crazy Dallas offense down last night with a 46/47 night from the suddenly competent Ondrej Pavelec. That means they saved Michael Hutchinson for us, who has an even 2.00 with a .931 as a platoon goalie and, more importantly, is 71/72 across two wins against the Hawks. Small sample size, arguably, and one of those games was the comedown from the Clint Reif memorial win, but the Jets from front to back have looked very good against us.
It's crazy, too, because with Minnesota and Dallas having blockbuster offseasons, Nashville getting an actual coach, and Colorado building on a divisional championship, there wasn't anyone living outside the Prairies who thought the Jets would be anything better than a distant seventh in the Central and a bona fide contender for the McDavid/Eichel (McEichel) sweepstakes. In fact, knowing the unwavering pessimism of Manitobans, it's possible that they thought the Jets would find a way to finish eighth.
But Dustin Byfuglien has been an unholy force, the Ladd-Little-Wheeler line has found its groove, Mark Schiefele has come of age, and the goaltending out of Hutchinson and Pavelec has been insane just a year after Pavelec being the league's worst. Paul Maurice is coaching them well, and Kevin Cheveldayoff has quietly assembled a team of OHHH OHHH SO BIG power forwards and tenacious defensemen. Mathieu Perreault, their only move on Free Agent Frenzy Day, had four goals the other night against Florida and came inches away from a fifth, which would have won a million dollars for a contest winner. So with all that, plus Minnesota unraveling and Dallas and Colorado forgetting that you need defensemen to play hockey, Winnipeg is not only out of the draft lottery but pretty firmly ensconced in a wild card spot.
Kane will have to bring his best moves to this one to evade the hard checks of Wheeler, Buff, and Lowry. The downside of the Jets' physical game is that they take a ton of penalties, with 218 minors to the Hawks' 135 (and 20 majors!), so the Hawks will have to cash in at least one power play. They do kill fairly well at 83.4%, though; I suppose they wouldn't a playoff team if they couldn't.
Pekka Rinne is out a month with a busted knee, so the Hawks can take back first place in that time, but we know how it is with the Hawks in January. The Jets aren't going to pass St. Louis for third place, so they need the win to keep holding off Los Angeles, San Jose, and Calgary.
Jets: 23-14-8 (54), 20-18-7 adjusted (47), 50.154 expected
Hawks: 28-13-2 (58), 23-14-6 adjusted (52), 57.296 expected
Jets: 29.9 shots for (17th), 29.0 shots against (15th)
Hawks: 35.1 shots for (1st), 29.3 shots against (17th)
Jets: 2.667 scored (T-18th), 2.400 allowed (8th) .267 differential (11th)
Hawks: 3.000 scored (3T-5th), 2.186 allowed (2nd), .814 differential (2nd)
Jets: 14.0 PIM/game (29th), 4.84 minors per game, 20 majors
Hawks: 7.6 PIM/game (1st), 3.13 minors per game, 7 majors
Jets: 27/154 17.5% on the power play (20th), 156/187 83.4% on the kill (9th)
Hawks: 29/157 18.5% on the power play (14th), 107/120 89.2% on the kill (1st)
Got more faults than the state of California_________________
Molly Lambert wrote:
The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.
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